Required Reading

Here is an assemblage of the greatest writers in the kayaking world. Do yourself a favor and read everything you can get your hands on!

Jeff West, Founder of ACE

Jeff’s adventures and thoughts recorded in his intimate and highly readable style, he will show you down a vertical mile in a day, the Stikine River (arguably the most difficult whitewater in this hemisphere, the the place where Jeff lost his life in pursuit of this dream), pushing your limits and expert tips. Jeff’s blog is a goldmine of kayaking knowledge, practical and spiritual.

Doug Ammons

Author of Whitewater Philosophy, Laugh of the Water Nymph and producer of the film Wildwater, all of which are classics. Here is a small sample of kaykings greatest living poet: Kayaking is about understanding the mystery of water in all its forms. Traveling down rivers is this exciting and compelling way to experience the world, and it can also become a deeply philosophical, spiritual, and aesthetic path. Kayaking is such a young sport that I think we’re still all flush with the thrill and fun, but have hardly begun to explore the other possibilities. After a lot of hard-core years pushing the sport, I realized there was much, much more to it, and started writing. The essays that have come from that are only a small offering of how we can bridge these two parallel paths. The first ignites our passion, the second swells and deepens our feelings.

William Nealy

William Nealy describes kayaking techniques in comic form. A well known illustrator, he created maps of all the major whitewater rivers of the southeast in a humorous and insightful manner. You will be suprised what you can learn from a comic book! Sadly, many of his books are no longer in print, but you can find them from private sellers. His tour de force: Kayak: The New Frontier: The Animated Manual of Intermediate and Advanced Whitewater Technique.

James E. Snyder

Any kind of river play interest, this deserves a read! Illustrations by the late great William Nealy, this kind of manuals are few and far between, so get one before they run out. The lingo can be difficult at first, if you are not one of the baptised, but facts are hard nevertheless. Instruction as a whole makes sense, but sometimes one needs the detailed illustrations, some of which will knot your brains while you try to figure what’s going on 🙂